Nuclear Medicine

In nuclear medicine a small injection of radioactivity is used to show how particular organs or tissues are working. This injection gives off radiation which enables pictures to be taken using a gamma camera. These pictures will give the doctor more information about the patient’s condition. Depending on the type of scan, the patient may need to wait up to a few hours for the injection to be absorbed before the images are taken. Upon arrival for the appointment, the injection is given through an arm vein. This is similar to having a blood test and will only take a few minutes. The patient will not feel any different after the injection; it will not make them sleepy or affect driving. Nuclear medicine procedures are time consuming and the radioactive material used has to be pre-ordered specifically from a radio-pharmacy outside of Medya Diagnostic Center. The order is made the day before the appointment.

PET/CT Scan

MDC opened the first Nuclear Medicine Department in Iraq in February 2017. The department includes a PET-CT scanner, which is required by most cancer patients whom up until now had to travel overseas to perform this procedure. It is used in oncology, surgical planning, radiation therapy and cancer staging.

A PET/CT scan combines a CT scan and a PET scan into one to give more detailed information about cancer. A CT scan takes a series of X-rays from all around the body and uses a computer to put them together. A PET scan uses a very small amount of radioactive drug FDG to show how body tissues are working. A PET-CT scan uses X-rays to take pictures of the structures of the body. At the same time, a mildly radioactive drug FDG shows up areas of the body where the cells are more active than normal. The scanner combines both of these types of information. This allows doctors to see any changes in the activity of cells and know exactly where the changes are happening.

What is a PET/CT Scan used for ?

PET-CT scans are used for many types of cancer and are generally thought to be more accurate in diagnosing cancer than PET scans alone. PET-CT scans can help to:

Diagnose cancer

Stage a cancer

Make decisions about whether surgery is needed to remove your cancer

Make decisions about which is the best treatment for the cancer

Show how well the treatment is working

Find the place in the body where the cancer first started to grow (primary cancer)

Check whether cancer has come back

Show the difference between scar tissue and active cancer tissue

Following cancer tratment, a scan may show that there are still some signs of cancer left. But this may not be active cancer. It could be scar tissue left over from cancer killed off by treatment. A PET/CT scan can sometimes show whether this tissue is active cancer or not

Cyclotron

Cyclotron is a particle accelerator which produces proton beams to manufacture radioisotope FDG, the radio-pharmaceutical used in PET/CT. A cyclotron facility is so complex that out of Iraq and all its neighbors only Turkey has managed to establish one. PET/CT cannot operate without a nearby cyclotron and due to the short lifespan of the pharmaceutical used to get the image of the patient (which is only about 110 mins), importing FDG from far abroad is almost impossible. MDC signed a contract with Eczacibasi Monrol to construct and operate such a facility. Our cyclotron is ready to supply FDG to all PET/CT facilities in Iraq.

We are introducing nuclear medicine to Iraq!

We are the exclusive distributor for nuclear medicine products in Iraq

Our Nuclear Medicine Products

MDC is the exclusive distributor in Iraq for radioactive isotopes, radiation measurement and protection equipment and gamma camera systems produced by the following companies:

Monrol: Radioactive Isotopes

Some of the products:

99mTEK Generator: 80% of all radioisotope procedures use Tc-99m, whose radiations are picked up by a gamma camera. Technetium is used for imaging and functional studies of the brain, thyroid, lungs, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, skeleton, blood and tumors.

DMSA KIT: This product is used with technetium-99 as diagnostic agent for investigating kidney disease

DTPA KIT: This product is used as a diagnostic agent in neurology, pulmonary imaging, gastroenterology and nephrology

MDP KIT: It is used with technetium-99 as a diagnostic agent for investigating bone diseases

ECD KIT: This product is used for the evaluation of regional cerebral perfusion abnormalities for patients with central nervous system disease

IODINE_131 Oral capsule: This product is used for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease

MIB- 131 I-DIAGNOSTIC (131 I): This product is used for verification of diagnosis of primary or metastatic pheochromocytomas and neuroblastomas; staging of the disease; monitoring after chemotherapy

MIBI KIT: This product is used with technetium-99 as a diagnostic agent for investigating cardiac disease, breast imaging and parathyroid imaging

TALIUM-201 I.V. Injection solution: This product is used in myocardial, muscle & parathyroid scintigraphies and in tumor monitoring

Capintec: Radiation measurement and protection equipment

Capintec is a leading worldwide supplier of energy measurement products and services. Capintec is dedicated to continuous quality improvement that leads to uncompromising quality in the development of the most advanced technology and services in the industry.

For more than 45 years, Capintec has been recognized as a world leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of state-of-the-art radiation measuring and monitoring instrumentation. With thousands of instruments in use world-wide, the company continually provides new and innovative solutions to radiation measuring applications. By offering products with applications in Nuclear Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, Oncology, Endocrinology, Diagnostic Radiology, and Radiation Therapy, the company continues to grow.

DDD–Diagnostic: gamma camera systems

DDD-Diagnostic A/S is well known within the nuclear medicine industry as world leading manufacturer of accurate and innovative gamma camera systems.

Focusing on Danish Design and Danish Quality, DDD has become market leader within nuclear cardiology as an OEM manufacturer working with the major international corporations, supplying diagnostic imaging equipment worldwide.
Now, DDD is also marketing a range of gamma camera systems under the DDD brand. Click the Products & Services tab to find more information on this new and exciting range of diagnostic imaging systems.